1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for producing glucono-delta-lactone from glucose and more particularly, to a process for producing glucono-delta-lactone by reacting glucose with molecular oxygen in the presence of an organic solvent using a palladium-containing catalyst for a platinum-containing catalyst.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Glucono-delta-lactone, sugar lactone certified for use as a food additive, has conventionally been used as a leavening agent for bread, cakes and other confections, and its use is expanding to encompass such products as bean curd, ham, sausage and boiled fish paste. Recently, demands are also increasing for glucono-delta-lactone in such fields as civil engineering, construction, and manufacture of medicines, cosmetics and detergents.
The conventional process for production of glucono-delta-lactone consists of preparing gluconic acid from glucose and converting the acid to lactone. Gluconic acid is prepared by several methods such as microbiological oxidation of glucose, electrolytic oxidation of glucose, and chemical oxidation of glucose with hypochlorous acid. Hence, glucono-delta-lactone has been produced by a two-step process that involves the step of converting glucose into gluconic acid.